


Don't Do Bad Things

by Remembrance



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Comedy, Cute, Gay Awakening, Gift Fic, Humor, I mean I'm kinda sorry, Kisses, Kissing Booth, Listen I love these boys, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry, dumb boys, stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 08:02:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16091441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remembrance/pseuds/Remembrance
Summary: “If, let’s say, someone you liked… was running a kissing booth… for a broken bike…” Kageyama rubbed two coins together, eyes drifting aside. “Would it be, bad…? To, um. Support their cause? For the broken bike…”“For the broken bike,” Suga repeated, “Because then they wouldn’t be able to get to practice as early.”“Ah!” Kageyama’s spine straightened. “That’s why he’s late to morning practice!”“Right.” Sugawara forced down his smile and nodded sagely. “I think you should absolutely support his cause, Kageyama… otherwise our volleyball team would fall apart.”





	Don't Do Bad Things

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CO32minus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CO32minus/gifts).



>  What the h*ck can I say about this, except this is a gift fic for Connie (check out their [Fics (AO3)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CO32minus/pseuds/CO32minus) & [Art (Twitter)](https://twitter.com/co32minus?lang=en)). They're great, and they make me laugh a lot, so this was a joy to write for them. I actually wrote this in April and waited until their birthday to post. Huge shoutout to Nikooki (check out their art: [twitter](https://twitter.com/nikooki_kyuu/) / [tumblr](http://nikooki.tumblr.com/)) & Tree (check out their fic: [AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdTree) / [Tumblr](https://sportanime-maniac.tumblr.com/)) for beta’ing on short notice!!!
> 
>  Note: This is honestly between T and M for rating, but I put it on the safe side because there's a lot of sexual humour, so just a heads up in case that's something you want a warning for!
> 
> * * *

 Hinata sat on the small stool that he had borrowed from the art room. He sat at a small desk, with a sign that said – rather plainly –  _Kissing Booth, 500 Yen._  Honestly, he wasn’t exactly sure how much he should charge per kiss, and 500 yen sounded like a lot, but Suga had assured him it would be fine. Wow, now that he thought about it, he sure should thank Sugawara some time. After all, this whole kissing booth was Suga’s idea.   
   
 Hinata rested his elbows on the desk, watching students walk left and right, most with jaws dropped, wondering if they had read the sign right.   
   
 Hinata sighed.   
   
 Well, it was the first day – maybe business would pick up with time?   
   
 Hinata slumped on the desk.   
   
 Footsteps.   
   
 Hinata perked up.   
   
 Raging footsteps.   
   
 Hinata sat straight up.   
   
 Charging right at him, arms moving violently, eyes focused, a murderous look on his face—Kageyama slammed his hands on the desk.   
   
 Hinata swallowed hard.   
   
 Kageyama looked up at the sign, eyes wide, then to Hinata. “What the fuck.”   
   
 “A-Ah!” Hinata frowned. “You shouldn’t swear, Kageyama!”   
   
 He scoffed.   
   
 “That’s why you can’t get a girlfriend!”   
   
 “That’s.” Kageyama looked up at the sign again then back to Hinata. “What. Is this?”   
   
 “Geh! It’s a kissing booth.” Hinata pouted. “It’s five hundred yen for a kiss!”   
   
 “Oh. Why?”   
   
 “I broke my bike.” Hinata sighed, deflating. “And I live so far… it takes  _forever_  to walk home… I’m so lucky Asahi at least drives me to the bus stop some days, but… I need money for a new one. So…”   
   
 Kageyama stared at him. “Ask your mom for money.”   
   
 “Bikes are expensive!” Hinata frowned. “We don’t have money to buy a bike right away… so I figured I’d help out and make some money! It’s 500 yen for a kiss, so if you know any girls—”   
   
 “Here.”   
   
 “What.”   
   
 Kageyama thrust a five hundred yen coin at Hinata. “Here.”   
   
 “O-Oh.” Hinata blinked. He took the bill and put it in the little glass jar. He looked at Kageyama, eyes wide. “You mean… uh… me?”   
   
 “I’m!” Kageyama’s cheeks tinged pink. “Supporting your damn bike fund! Dumbass… do you want the sale or not!?”   
   
 “I’ll take it! Wah! I just, bwah – Kageyama, I never kissed anyone before!”   
   
 “You should’ve thought of that before you took my money!”   
   
 “No, it’s good!” Hinata nodded. “It’s good, I can practice on a friend, before like. The girls.”   
   
 “Right.” Kageyama stared. “The girls.”   
   
 Hinata took a deep breath. “So… uh…”   
   
 Kageyama stared at him.   
   
 Hinata took a deep breath again. He got off his stool and leaned forward, eyes fluttering closed. He heard, quietly, Kageyama take in a sharp breath of air, and for some reason he thought it was cute. Kageyama, being cute? That was a first. He pushed it out of his mind, and pressed his lips to Kageyama’s.   
   
 Kageyama tensed, but leaned in.   
   
 Hinata moved his lips slowly, softly. He had read, of course, up on how to kiss and yadda yadda on the internet; however, in the moment, all those words emptied out of his mind and he went with feeling. It was warm, and soft, and it tickled just a little. He broke the kiss to let out a little laugh. He pressed their mouths together again, only for a moment, before he pulled away.   
   
 Kageyama’s eyes were closed, but his face was bright red.   
   
 Hinata sat down in his seat, feeling something oddly warm and bubbly in his stomach.   
   
 A crowd of students watched on.   
   
 Kageyama opened his eyes.   
   
 Hinata tilted his head. “So?”   
   
 “Knuff-Knife-N-N…” Kageyama turned around and stomped off.   
   
 Hinata blinked.  _Wow,_  he thought to himself,  _That was nice… that was… really nice._    
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama stormed off as fast as he could, face burning, mouth dry, throat tight, hands shaking—and, worst of all, he was sweating in places he didn’t know he could even sweat. Disgusting. He went outside and slammed two fingers on the vending machines.   
   
 Nothing happened.   
   
 “Ah, Kageyama,” Suga’s voice came from behind him. “You have to put money in it first.”   
   
 “I!” Kageyama raised his voice, chest puffed up, shoulders wide… then he shrunk, deflating. “I know, how to use a vending machine, Sugawara-san.”   
   
 “Oh.” Suga grinned wide. “What’s bothering you?”   
   
 “Ah, w-well.” Kageyama swallowed hard. He fished out some coins for the vending machine and sighed. “Sugawara-senpai… would you… I mean.” He frowned. “Me and Hinata… um.”   
   
 Sugawara’s grin never faltered.   
   
 “If, let’s say, someone you liked… was running a kissing booth… for a broken bike…” Kageyama rubbed two coins together, eyes drifting aside. “Would it be, bad…? To, um. Support their cause? For the broken bike…”   
   
 “For the broken bike,” Suga repeated, “Because then they wouldn’t be able to get to practice as early.”   
   
 “Ah!” Kageyama’s spine straightened. “That’s why he’s late to morning practice!”   
   
 “Right.” Sugawara forced down his smile and nodded sagely. “I think you should absolutely support his cause, Kageyama… otherwise our volleyball team would fall apart.”   
   
 “That’s right!” Kageyama scowled intensely. “I… I have to keep supporting his cause!”   
   
 “You’ve got to keep supporting his cause,” Sugawara repeated.   
   
 Kageyama nodded firmly. He looked at Sugawara and diverted his eyes away. “Um… I know this might… be a surprise to you, but… um.” He swallowed hard. “The person I am, interested in… who broke his bike… it was, H-Hinata.”   
   
 “Really?” Sugawara’s eyebrows shot up. “I never would have imagined.”   
   
 “I… I know. Um.” Kageyama swallowed hard. “Please… don’t tell anyone, Suga-san.”   
   
 “Don’t worry!” Sugawara offered him a thumbs up. “I won’t tell anyone! You just gotta keep supporting his cause, though, right?”   
   
 “Right.”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
  
 Asahi watched from behind a pillar in the schoolyard. He waited until Sugawara was coming close before he stepped out a bit, a panicked, worried look on his face as he looked around left and right.   
   
 Sugawara, taking one look at Asahi, readied his hand in a karate chop. “Anxiety be gone!”   
   
 Asahi yelped and hid behind the pillar.   
   
 Sugawara let out a little laugh and waved both hands. “Sorry, sorry… What are you freaking out about now?”   
   
 “W-Well…” Asahi came out again. “I, uh, overheard your conversation with Kageyama…”   
   
 “You were eavesdroppin’, huh?”   
   
 “N-No! N-Not on purpose!”   
   
 Sugawara put both his hands on his hips. “Okay, so you overheard me give Kageyama some really good advice. What about it, Asahi?”   
   
 Asahi bit his lip and began shivering like a small animal in the rain. “I j-just think, uh… Daichi probably won’t like it if he finds out you were, um. Encouraging this…?”   
   
 “Of course not.” Sugawara smiled wide and pointed a thumb at himself. “He’d kill me!”   
   
 Asahi  _squealed._    
   
 “So all I gotta do is make sure Daichi doesn’t know I had any part in this.” Sugawara nodded with more confidence than usual. “And you better keep your mouth shut or I’ll add in that it was your idea in the first place, then we’ll both die.”   
   
 Asahi put his head in his hands.   
   
 Sugawara smiled and grabbed Asahi’s arm. With his eyes closed he said, “You promise to keep your mouth shut, Asahi-kun?”   
   
 “Y-Yes!”   
   
 “Good.” Sugawara let go. “Alright, well, it’s fine… Daichi won’t actually kill us, as long as it doesn’t go too far.”   
   
 “R-Right.” Asahi nodded. “Wait, why us? Why am I getting roped into this?”   
   
 “Eavesdropping is dangerous, Asahi.” Sugawara smiled. “Don’t worry about it too much, though. It’s just a kissing booth.  _How bad can it get?”_    
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Hinata’s business wasn’t exactly booming, but he had a few buyers. A very cute girl in the second year class had kissed him chastely. He’d wanted to enjoy it, but he was semi-distracted by Tanaka and Noya yelling when they witnessed it. Why they were in the first year hallway, he didn’t really know, but that didn’t matter too much. He let her kiss him again, for free, and he was confused when it was over.   
   
 He remembered his kiss with Kageyama, how it made him feel warm and bubbly…   
   
 Maybe that was just first kiss stuff, and he wouldn’t feel it again? Aww, man, that was kinda disappointing. Hinata hummed. He got another kiss from a first year girl, who just kissed him on the cheek and ran away, and that made him smile.   
   
 “Tsukki!” Hinata yelled, “Kissing booth?”   
   
 “Die.”   
   
 “Yamaguchi, what about you?”   
   
 “Ah,” Yamaguchi’s cheeks burned a bit. “Well I suppose I could—” He glanced to the right, eyes widening.   
   
 Kageyama slammed another five hundred yen coin on the table, breathing heavy.   
   
 Hinata blinked. “Oh. Kageyama. Want another one?”   
   
 Tsukishima sighed. “Let’s get out of here.”   
   
 Kageyama’s blue eyes stared into the depths of Hinata’s soul. “Yes.”   
   
 Yamaguchi dipped out.   
   
 “Sure!” Hinata gently grabbed the sides of Kageyama’s head and pulled him down a bit, letting their lips meet again. His eyes fluttered closed and. Oh… Hinata could feel Kageyama kissing back this time. Kageyama’s lips, moving against his. That warm, bubbly feeling began to simmer in his chest. He went on his tippy-toes and took in Kageyama’s scent.   
   
 Oh.   
   
 Kageyama’s tongue poked at his lips.   
   
 Hinata pulled back, eyes wide, cheeks red.   
   
 Kageyama, who looked like he’d forgotten how to breathe, moved his head back. “S-Sorry…”   
   
 “N-No! That’s fine! Just, uh. Surprised me!”   
   
 “Right.” Kageyama stared at him. “You better get a new bike soon. Bye.”   
   
 “Oh! Uh, bye!”   
   
 Kageyama walked away.   
   
 Hinata sat on his stool again, tilting his head ever so slightly.   
   
 Wait.   
   
 So that first kiss feeling wasn’t just a first kiss feeling?   
   
 Oh, maybe Hinata had been nervous because he was making sure to level up his kissing, for the uh girls. Hinata looked at the five hundred yen coin. For the girls. Hinata put the coin in the jar, tilting his head. Squinting a bit. But then why did…   
   
 Why…?   
   
 But the kiss with Kageyama…   
   
 Hinata’s eyes widened.   
   
 He took in a sharp breath.   
   
 His eyes widened to the point where he feared they would pop out of their sockets. “Oh! I’m ga—”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 The sound of volleyballs hitting the floors from spikes and serves echoed in the gymnasium.   
   
 Yamaguchi glanced over. “Hey Tsukki…”   
   
 Tsukishima, sipping on his water bottle, let his eyes drift to where Yamaguchi was looking.   
   
 Hinata was holding a volleyball, lost in thought.   
   
 Yamaguchi glanced to another corner of the gym.   
   
 Kageyama had his forehead against the wall.   
   
 Yamaguchi looked at Tsukishima. “Should we do something?”   
   
 “No.”   
   
 “But Tsukki—”   
   
 “We don’t even know them,” Tsukishima murmured.   
   
 “Tsukki—”   
   
 “Hinata who? Kageyama? Doesn’t ring a bell.” Tsukishima sipped more from his water bottle. “Don’t know them, sorry.”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama had decided, when he got home, he would wait a few more days before going back to Hinata’s kissing booth. After all, he didn’t want to be obvious about it. Suga hadn’t caught on, but maybe others would.   
   
 Of course the next day he went right back to the kissing booth.   
   
 He had to ask his mom for money.   
   
 His mom was, well…   
   
 Suspicious?   
   
 His mom was kind of suspicious. He didn’t usually ask for money, so for him to ask for it the fourth time this week—   
   
 “For the bike,” Kageyama said as he slammed a five hundred yen coin on the desk.   
   
 “Oh!” Hinata’s cheeks were a little pink. Oh. That was. That was cute. “Th-Thanks!”   
   
 Kageyama cupped Hinata’s face before he leaned down. He crossed the distance between them.   
   
 Hinata screwed his eyes shut, and  _squeaked_  into the kiss.   
   
 Oh.   
   
 Kageyama wasn’t sure if he wanted to slam his face into Hinata’s face more or to punch him but damnit that was cute and it made his toes tingle and his shoulders lock. He pressed their lips together, moving slow and steady, like he had read online. But he didn’t want slow and steady. He wanted more.   
   
 He was hungry.   
   
 He gave a playful scrape of teeth to Hinata’s lips, and he swore he heard Hinata whine against his mouth.   
   
 Hinata lightly bit Kageyama’s lower lip in retaliation.   
   
 Kageyama opened his eyes.   
   
 Hinata’s eyes were half-lidded, cheeks pink, grinning, and close.   
   
 Too close.   
   
 Kageyama’s hand cupping Hinata’s face dropped and smacked Hinata in the chest.   
   
 “Oof!”   
   
 Kageyama frowned. “I didn’t hit you hard!”   
   
 “You did!”   
   
 Kageyama’s frown softened. “Ah… uh…” He looked to the side. “S-Sorry… I guess.”   
   
 “You guess,” Hinata murmured before he looked up again. “Um…” His cheeks were still pink, and his eyes were slightly unfocused, as if he was thinking (Kageyama knew Hinata was never thinking, though, so it was probably an illusion). “Thanks, Kageyama.”   
   
 “Mmf.” Kageyama stiffened. “For what?”   
   
 “F-For, uh…” Hinata put his arms behind his back, looking away. “Um, uh…” He sprung into a battle stance. “For supporting my bike cause! Bwah! You’re such a supportive friend! Thank you so much! Gwah!”   
   
 Kageyama looked at him.   
   
 “Uh!” Hinata’s face looked even redder, even hotter, than it did before and he awkwardly moved behind his stool, as if that would protect him. “Thanks…” He smiled, but it didn’t seem like an honest smile. “Thanks for being such a good friend, Kageyama… I… I really appreciate it…”   
   
 “Whatever, dumbass. You’re welcome.”   
   
 “N-No, I…” Hinata took a deep breath. “I mean it, Kageyama… you’re… you’re a good friend.”   
   
 “Right.” Kageyama turned away. “Bye.”   
   
 “Come support the cause tomorrow!”   
   
 “I won’t!” He would.   
   
 “Bye!”   
   
 Kageyama stormed off, stomping with each step.   
   
 The rain was pouring outside.   
   
 Class was starting soon. Very soon. He didn’t have time to worry about this, or to worry about his feelings, or the damn kissing booth. He needed to focus on not sleeping during class so he would be ready for volleyball after school but—   
   
  _—“You’re a good friend.”_    
   
 Shut up.   
   
  _—“Thanks for being such a good friend, Kageyama…”_    
   
 He didn’t want to just be a good friend, he—   
   
  _—“You’re such a supportive friend!”_    
   
 Kageyama kicked the lockers, leaving a dent. “My crush on him is hopeless!”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Hinata melted against his desk. He felt his chest get tight, but not the happy good way when Kageyama’s lips were against his. No, now it felt dark, and it had a glassy crunch, like a broken mirror. He put his hand to his chest, knowing his heart was physically hurting from this. He was half-tempted to go see a doctor. He pouted a bit and sighed.  
   
 “Uh…” Asahi leaned over. “Hinata-kun are you okay?”   
   
 “Y-Yes!” Hinata sat up. “Do you want to buy a kiss, Asahi-san?”   
   
 “A-A-Ah n-n-n-o!” Asahi backed away. “I just… you look, um.” He scratched the back of his head. “You looked really down, Hinata…”   
   
 “Ah…” Hinata forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me, Asahi-san! I’m okay. Stuff happens. You know how it is, I’m sure.”   
   
 “Oh, well, yeah. Someone just left a huge dent in my locker for no reason…” Asahi sighed. “I tried to tell one of the teachers about it, but she was scared of me…”   
   
 “Don’t worry, Asahi! I’m sure karma will get that punk somehow!”   
   
 “A-Ah, sure… A-Anyway, I’ve got to get to class.”   
   
 “Have a good class, Asahi-san!”   
   
 “You too.”   
   
 Hinata perked up a bit then slumped. Kageyama. He… Hinata sighed. He had never thought Kageyama was such a great guy, to be spending his allowance here on him, every day, to support his cause.   
   
 “Honestly,” Hinata whispered, “What a supportive friend…” He suddenly felt bad for all the little remarks and pranks he had pulled on this good person. A good person, who was coming here, to support his bike cause… “Agh!” Hinata messed up his hair violently. “My crush on him is hopeless!”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama swallowed hard. “Mom?”   
   
 “Hm?”   
   
 His mother was washing dishes in the sink, while his father was drying them and putting them away. Kageyama had approached from the side entrance of the kitchen, which led to the small T.V. room. Kageyama cleared his throat. “Mom, can I… borrow money?”   
   
 His parents looked at each other, tense looks, before his mother put the dish back in the sink. “Tobio,” she said quietly, “Why don’t we talk?”   
   
 Kageyama tensed. No. He didn’t like talking.   
   
 They led him to the small low table in front of the T.V. and his dad turned off the news.   
   
 Oh. No. This wasn’t good.   
   
 “Tobio,” his mother began quietly, “We’ve noticed you’ve been borrowing money a lot lately…”   
   
 Kageyama stared at her.   
   
 “Which is fine,” his dad assured. “We always said if you need anything, you can come to us! You’re a very responsible teenager. You… really only spend your money on volleyball and yogurt drinks, so it’s not usually that much…” He looked at his wife for support.   
   
 “But lately,” she was picking up what he was putting down, “It’s been quite… worrying, for us. We just want to make sure you’re okay, and we want to know… you know, what’s going on? Why do you need so much money, you know…?”  
   
 “We love you,” his dad said with a smile. “Is it a girlfriend? Because—”   
   
 “Um,” Kageyama interrupted. His eyes darted between the two of them. Honestly, this is what he hated about his parents having talks with him. He didn’t know where to look. The rest was fine, usually, but this pissed him off a lot, but he knew it wasn’t their fault. They were good parents. “Sort of…”   
   
 “Sort of?” His mom perked up, putting a hand on her husband’s leg. “There’s a girl you like?”   
   
 “Well.” Kageyama frowned. No, but. “There’s someone at school, that I like… and uh…”   
   
 His mom smiled. “You’re going on dates with her?”   
   
 “No.”   
   
 “You’re buying her gifts?” his father offered.   
   
 “No.” Kageyama frowned. “Um. There’s just.”   
   
 They leaned in.   
   
 “There are certain, um…” He squinted. “Financial transactions…” He grit his teeth. “I give money, and I get… um. Physical things. In return.”   
   
 Both of their jaws snapped shut.   
   
 “Financial.” His mother’s eyes shot up. “Transactions… for… physical things, Tobio?”   
   
 Kageyama swallowed hard. “Um. Is that. Bad?”   
   
 They looked at each other.   
   
 “So.” His father scratched his head. “This person is… selling, physical things… to you… for money?”   
   
 “Yeah.”   
   
 “Tobio…” His mom put a hand to her mouth. “Tobio!”   
   
 Kageyama blinked.   
   
 “This…” His father took a deep breath. “How old is this person…?”   
   
 “My age.”   
   
 “Kageyama Tobio,” his mother whispered very quietly, “Are you telling me there’s a girl at your school, a first year… who is prostituting herself… for money?”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Hinata hummed as he scrolled through more articles on romance and dating tips. He really wasn’t sure what to make of all of these. He guessed they kind of made sense, like the communication thing. That came up a lot. It was so true, though, because when they played volleyball – they needed to communicate which tempo they were using, right?   
   
 Wow.   
   
 Hinata had no idea he was so good at romance!   
   
 His business picked up a bit. As the days went by, he got a few more customers. A couple teachers told him they weren’t sure such a business was appropriate for school, but he told them it was okay, and they didn’t really argue much because everyone in the hallway stared, wondering if a teacher was buying a kiss from a first year.   
   
 Hinata started looking forward to rainy days, too.   
   
 On rainy days, everyone was indoors, so there were more customers.   
   
 But of course, he mostly just waited for his favourite customer… for his favourite… for his hopeless crush…   
   
 Hinata sighed dramatically and kept reading up on articles about dating advice. This article was saying something about how eye contact and being assertive was good. Right. He nodded. Next time he saw Kageyama, he was going to hold eye contact and be assertive!   
   
 “Hinata.”   
   
 He looked up.   
   
 Kageyama slammed several bills on the table.   
   
 Hinata blinked. “What.”   
   
 “I’m buying kisses. Multiple. To. Support the cause.”   
   
 Hinata felt his chest stammer; and, surprisingly, he had the urge to avoid eye contact, but this time he looked straight in Kageyama’s eyes and smiled. “Th-Thanks!”   
   
 Kageyama’s cheeks seemed to turn a bit pink, and he leaned over.   
   
 Hinata felt his chest tighten, and he moved back – just a little bit – but Kageyama pressed their lips together. Hinata closed his eyes. He liked closing his eyes when he kissed; it let him get lost in it, get lost in the feeling, get lost in Kageyama.   
   
 Kageyama had grown more assertive as well, kissing with more movement, with more heat, and he prodded at Hinata’s lips with his tongue.   
   
 Hinata couldn’t help but cup Kageyama’s face as he opened his mouth, feeling Kageyama’s tongue against his. It was weird, tasting him, but it was nice. Warm. But it tickled, and he wanted to chuckle, but he didn’t want to break the kiss, so he just made a noise into Kageyama’s mouth and felt the vibrations from it.   
   
 Kageyama pulled back.   
   
 Hinata almost chased him for another kiss, but he stilled himself. He swallowed hard.   
   
 “I’m paying for at least six kisses.”   
   
 “Wow,” Hinata breathed heavy. “You, uh… really want to support my cause, huh?”   
   
 “O-Of course. Y-You’re late to practice,” he pointed out, “That’s time we can be working on our quick.”   
   
 “R-Right.” Hinata nodded. “Volleyball.”   
   
 “Right.” Kageyama nodded. “Volleyball.”   
   
 Hinata pulled Kageyama’s head closer, pressing their lips together again. He breathed through his nose, and it hurt. Not his nose, but his chest.   
   
 He wanted this.   
   
 He wanted this so bad, but he—   
   
 Hinata deepened the kiss, squishing his eyes closed, wanting to pour all of himself into Kageyama if he could, but he didn’t know how, and he didn’t know if he could.   
   
 He had all these feelings, and he wanted to tell Kageyama… He was ready to burst, burst with words and colours and sounds, but he snuffed them out and focused on the kiss. The kiss. That’s all he could get, really. This would have to be enough. He pulled away, feeling his eyes get a little wet.   
   
 Kageyama breathed, “Wow.”   
   
 Hinata’s cheeks warmed. “What?”   
   
 “You just… you’re getting… good.”   
   
 “Y-Yeah?”   
   
 Kageyama breathed a hot, “Yeah.”   
   
 Hinata’s cheeks burned. “W-Well, y-yeah. You’re not bad yourself…”   
   
 The corner of Kageyama’s lips tugged up into a smirk.   
   
 Hinata swore his heart was about to burst. “S-So, wh-where’d you get all this money?”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama looked down. “I talked to my parents…”   
   
 “Yeah?” Hinata tilted his head. “You asked your parents for money? How did that go?”   
   
 Kageyama looked at him. “Well…”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 “This…” His father took a deep breath. “How old is this person…?”   
   
 “My age.”   
   
 “Kageyama Tobio,” his mother whispered very quietly, “Are you telling me there’s a girl at your school, a first year… who is prostituting herself… for money?”   
   
 Prostituting.   
   
 That was a big word.   
   
 Kageyama didn’t know what it meant. But he knew he had to answer her. “Yes… Well—Actually.” He frowned. “No?” He sighed. Were they even listening? “No.”   
   
 “Oh, thank God.”   
   
 “It’s not a girl, it’s a  _boy.”_    
   
 “A boy? Prostituting himself. For money?”   
   
 Kageyama looked at them. “Yes.” Maybe. That really was a big word.   
   
 They looked at each other, and their eyes darkened.   
   
 Kageyama didn’t know what that meant but he supposed it wasn’t good.   
   
 “Tobio,” his father said suddenly, loudly. “Tobio, why is this boy… doing this?”   
   
 “Because he needs a bike.”   
   
 “A bike?”   
   
 “He needs transportation to school, and his family can’t afford one.” Kageyama looked at them. “So he needs to find new ways to make money, so I want to help him…”   
   
 They looked at each other.   
   
 Kageyama looked between them. Honestly, this was the worst part. He didn’t know where to look, and—   
   
 His mother sobbed.   
   
 His father put his hand over his mouth.   
   
 Kageyama tilted his head.   
   
 They started crying.   
   
 Kageyama frowned, looking left and right.   
   
 “A poor boy! Just a first year!” His mother sobbed loudly, wiping tears away with her hands. “That could be our Tobio!”   
   
 “Our Tobio!” His father cried, dropping his head in his hands. “What a poor boy… his parents can’t even afford a bike!”   
   
 “What is this world coming to!?”   
   
 “I don’t know! I don’t know!”   
   
 “Tobio!”   
   
 He stiffened.   
   
 “Tobio!” His mother grabbed her purse and began taking dozens of bills out. “Take it! Take it all!” She shoved the money at him. “Take it! Help him, please!”   
   
 Kageyama took the money, eyes widening.   
   
 “But promise me, Tobio!”   
   
 Kageyama looked up at her.   
   
 “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!” His mother took a deep breath and pointed at him. With every word, she swiped her hand down, “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!” She moved her hands to wipe away tears before again, “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things! Don’t take advantage of this poor boy… just give him the money! Don’t do sex things to him!”   
   
 “S-Sex things,” Kageyama whispered quietly, confused.   
   
 “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 His father wagged his hand and joined in, “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 “Um.” Kageyama stared. “Okay.”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Prostituting. Hinata blinked. That was a big word. He didn’t know what it meant.   
   
 “Uh… they said it was a good cause.” Kageyama cleared his throat, frowning. “And I want to, support my friends. So.”   
   
 “Wow…” Hinata felt his heart sink. “You asked your parents for money… you’re…”   
   
 Kageyama glanced at him, with an almost… hopeful look in his eyes?   
   
 “You’re…” Hinata felt his throat grow tight. “Geh!” He messed up his hair violently. “You’re such a good friend, Kageyama!”   
   
 Kageyama backed away.   
   
 “Thanks for asking your parents to help you support my cause!” He stood up and bowed.   
   
 Kageyama clenched his fists.   
   
 Hinata looked up. “I’ll, uh… I just… I wish I could do more for you…”   
   
 “I…” Kageyama raised a hand and wagged his finger, whispering—to himself—”Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 Hinata blinked.   
   
 “Don’t!” Kageyama turned away. “Do!” He began walking away. “Bad! Things!”   
   
 Hinata tilted his head, watching him go.   
   
 “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 Hinata sighed.   
   
 Kageyama turned the corner, still chanting to himself.   
   
 Hinata looked down. “Wow.” He sat on his stool. “My crush on him is hopeless…”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 For the first time in a long time, Kageyama was happy that practice was over. He was happy they’d ended early, and he left the change room faster than anyone else. He was sure it would be noticed, maybe he’d be questioned about it later, but he didn’t care. He went home that day, and crashed on his bed.   
   
 The following day was a weekend, and it felt like a break – a reprieve – from Hinata. Hinata’s soft little lips, and the way he quirked up his eyebrows, and the faces he made, and all of his smiles—the big ones and the small ones.   
   
 Kageyama rolled over, onto his pillow, smooshing his face into it.   
   
 He hated this.   
   
 His crush was so hopeless.   
   
 He decided to get out of the house, and found himself walking in town. He got a text from his mom, something about picking up groceries, so he decided he could do that.   
   
 As he walked through the aisles—   
   
 “Yoohoo! Tobio-chan!”   
   
 Kageyama spun around, packaged ground beef in hand.   
   
 Oikawa gave him a wave. “My, my, growing boy is going to eat all that himself?”   
   
 “No.” It was a family-sized package. He put it in his basket, then paused. He looked up at Oikawa and squinted.   
   
 Oikawa smiled, but the longer the gaze went on the more his smile began to fade. “Stop that! What do you want?”   
   
 “Are you good at… relationships?”   
   
 “Relationship advice?” Oikawa leaned in. “Oh, now  _that’s_  exciting. I have had many girlfriends, Tobio-chan! I am one of the best relationship advice-givers that exist. It’s a fact!”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama blinked. Really? That was pretty impressive. “Okay… so… there’s… someone I like.”   
   
 “Who is she?”   
   
 “Hinata.”   
   
 “Oh, a boy huh?”   
   
 Kageyama nodded.   
   
 “Well, that’s interesting. I never thought you would be  _gay,”_  Oikawa scoffed. “After all, as a very heterosexual man myself, I don’t know if I can give gay advice, but I can try.”   
   
 “But in middle school I saw you makeout with Iwaizu—”   
   
 Oikawa clasped his hand over Kageyama’s mouth, looking around to see if anyone was listening in. “Tobio-chan!” He moved his hand away and then lowered his voice. “J-Just… just because I kiss Iwa-chan sometimes doesn’t make me,  _gay._  It doesn’t.”   
   
 “Right.” Kageyama blinked. “You could be bi. Or pan, or—”   
   
 “No!” Oikawa shrieked. “I am the most heterosexual man on this planet. I love girls. Absolutely. I don’t  _gay_  kiss Iwa-chan. It’s not me!”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama frowned. “Maybe that’s why…”   
   
 Oikawa squinted. “What?”   
   
 “Well, I kiss Hinata a lot…” Kageyama kept frowning. “But maybe they’re not gay kisses?”   
   
 “You kiss that Shortie-pie a lot?” Oikawa raised an eyebrow.   
   
 “Well. He runs a kissing booth. Because his bike broke. So he needs money.”   
   
 “Oh, boy.” Oikawa sighed loftily. “Well, maybe he’s not gay.”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama’s eyes fell.   
   
 Oikawa looked at him, lips pursed. “I mean, he  _could_  be.”   
   
 Kageyama looked up. “Do you have any advice?”   
   
 “U-Um.” Oikawa took in a deep breath, looking around the grocery store. “Cold.” Oikawa looked at where the packaged ground beef was kept cool. “Don’t be cold with him!” He held up a finger. “That’s number one, Tobio-chan. You gotta be warm.”   
   
 “But.” Kageyama frowned. “I am cold. My feet are always cold when I sleep… Mom says I should wear socks to bed, but I don’t like socks.”   
   
 “Well then, you gotta fix your feet! Then the Shortie-pie will fall for you! There! I solved your mysteries! Bye!”   
   
 “Wait!” Kageyama yelled, but Oikawa was already running. He sighed. Well, if it came from Oikawa it had to be true, right?   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Hinata was on the bus heading home when his phone buzzed. He was annoyed, because the bus that headed towards his home took a long detour, and that doubled the already long amount of time it took him to get there. Kageyama was right, it was really taking a lot of his volleyball time away. He sighed and reached in his pocket, pulling out his phone.   
   
 It was a text from Bokuto.   
   
 It read, simply,  _how u doin little bird??_    
   
 And Hinata texted back his honest reply.   
   
  _bad_    
   
 His phone buzzed a couple more times before it began to ring. He jumped a bit but hit accept call and put it to his ear. “Bokuto-san?”   
   
  _“Hey! Hey! Heyyy! What’s got you down, Sunshine?”_    
   
 “Ah.” Hinata hummed as he thought about it. “I need… relationship advice.”   
   
  _“R-Relationship advice?”_    
   
 “Yeah.” He sighed. “Oh!” His eyes lit up. “Bokuto-san, are you good at relationships?”   
   
  _“O-Of course I am! I’ve dated lots of girls! Like. Hundreds!”_    
   
 “Hwah!?” Hinata leaned forward in his bus seat. “You’ve dated…” His eyes widened. “Hundreds…” That’s. That was so many! He blinked several times. “Then you can totally give me advice, right!?”   
   
  _“O-Of c-course! Totally! I am the b-best at relationship advice!”_    
   
 “The ace,” he whispered. “The ace, of relationships.”   
   
  _“Yeah, my little man! That’s, uh. That’s totally me! So! What’s going on for you!? Who’s the lucky girl?”_    
   
 “Kageyama,” Hinata explained, “My setter.”   
   
  _“Good choice! Aces always have crushes on their setters. I’m pretty sure it’s like. Law.”_    
   
 “It’s law?” Hinata frowned. “Does that mean I have to fight Asahi-san? And Tanaka-san next year?”   
   
  _“N-Nah, don’t worry about it! A-Anyway! Um! So! What do you, like, uh, want out of the relationship advice?”_    
   
 “I want him to know I like him…”   
   
  _“Well then, you gotta use your mating call!”_    
   
 “Mating call?”   
   
  _“You ever see those videos of the birds of paradise or whatever? Those wild birds? They dance around and clickity clack and stuff, it’s how they attract mates! You gotta do the same!”_    
   
 “Wow.” Hinata slapped his hand on his forehead. “Why didn’t I think of that?”   
   
  _“It’s a Bokuto Koutarou secret!”_    
   
 “Right!” Hinata pulled out his notebook from his bag and shuffled for a pencil. Holding his phone between his shoulder and his ear, he began taking notes. “What else can you tell me, Bokuto-san?”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama felt the weekend pass by too quickly. His parents had been freaking out the entire time, which, to be fair, was pretty expected: Kageyama had been doing his homework. He found homework was a great way to distract himself from his current intrusive thoughts, of Hinata. Of Hinata’s lips. Of Hinata’s laugh, his smile, the way he got playful and—   
   
 Kageyama focused on his homework.   
   
 Luckily Kageyama never did his homework all year, so he had a lot to do regardless of how many assignments he completed.   
   
 But Monday eventually came.   
   
 School eventually became unavoidable.   
   
 Hinata, too, was unavoidable.   
   
 Kageyama had taken a longer route to school, getting there a little later than usual. It was uncomfortable with him wearing three pairs of socks. He got changed quickly and joined the rest of them for morning practice. As he stepped into the gym, however—   
   
 “Caw!” Hinata yelled, “Caw!” He flapped his arms and began moving in slow circles, making excessive eye contact with Kageyama.   
   
 Kageyama stared at him.   
   
 The rest of the gym stared at him.   
   
 “Caw!” Hinata continued his dance. “Caw!”   
   
 Kageyama continued to stare at him.   
   
 The rest of the team continued to stare at him.   
   
 “Caw! Caw!”   
   
 Kageyama slowly turned around, and decided it was okay if he skipped practice today.   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Hinata grunted as he slammed his head on his desk. Sitting in class 1-1, he messed up his hair and whined to himself. It was hopeless. He’d spent all night researching mating calls, and it hadn’t worked! He really had no chance at this, did he? After all, this was Bokuto’s secret method and Bokuto had over a  _hundred_  girlfriends. That was a lot of girlfriends!! And Hinata couldn’t even get this one boy.   
   
 He sighed and did his best to pay attention in class.   
   
 He barely remembered anything, but tried to take notes for later. He grit his teeth.   
   
 When lunch came, he sighed and got out of his seat.   
   
 He moved to the hallway and, like always, began to set up his kissing booth. At least Kageyama would probably come here… unless the mating call thing had scared him off. He sighed, and set up his little table and sign and stool, and sat.  
   
 He got a few kisses this time, from a few different people. Business was picking up.   
   
 He’d pay for his bike soon.   
   
 There was a cute first year girl with a lot of confidence that he thought was awesome, and this second year girl with pigtails that had a nice laugh. None of them made him feel anything like Kageyama did, though. A second year boy stopped by, explicitly saying he was doing this because it was a dare and it wasn’t because he was into guys. Business was business though, so Hinata gave him the best kiss he could.   
   
 His cheeks were bright red when he was done, and he scurried away.   
   
 Hinata did feel a little something there, and he confirmed that he liked kissing guys more than girls, but… at the end of the day, no one was like—   
   
 “Here.” Kageyama put a few more bills down. “Eight kisses.”   
   
 “W-Wha~!” Hinata jumped off his stool. “That’s a lot!”   
   
 “Yeah, whatever.” Kageyama angrily looked away. “This is for the cause,” he reminded. “So…”   
   
 “Right.” Hinata forced a smile. He put his arms behind his back and waited. He could see Kageyama blush. Usually, Hinata kissed his customers, but there was something nice about being kissed, and really only Kageyama was brash enough to do it, but something about putting him on the spot to do it was kind of fun too.   
   
 Kageyama leaned down, tilting his head a bit to bring their lips together.   
   
 Hinata felt like his body tensed and relaxed at the same time. It was… it was everything. It was warm, and soft, but a little rough, and it made him feel funny, in a good way, and his heart felt light.   
   
 It was everything he wanted from a kiss.   
   
 There was a slight bitter taste, a bit like burnt coffee, and Hinata knew it was because this wasn’t real.   
   
 This wasn’t a real kiss… Kageyama didn’t have feelings for him…   
   
 If anything, Hinata was just using Kageyama for his money, for his money and his own feelings. Hinata hated himself, in that moment, knowing that Kageyama was such a good friend, and Hinata was just someone using him.   
   
 He could feel Kageyama began to pull away.   
   
  _No, please…_    
   
 Hinata reached up, cupping his face, gently holding it there.   
   
  _Just a bit more.  
   
 Please._    
   
 Kageyama leaned in, reaching over the small table to put an arm around Hinata’s waist, pulling him closer.   
   
 Hinata wanted to scream, wanted to cry, wanted to  _sing._  If he closed his eyes (which he did, because he was kissing someone) he could almost pretend Kageyama did have feelings for him. If he forced himself to push away the facts, he could almost imagine an alternate universe where Kageyama returned his affection.   
   
 Kageyama pulled away, just a little. Their lips were only millimetres away. They could feel each other’s breath on them, and it felt warm, felt strange, felt so right.   
   
 But Hinata knew it was wrong.   
   
 Kageyama tilted his head to the side and—   
   
 Oh.   
   
 Hinata’s eyes widened.   
   
 Kageyama kissed his cheek.   
   
 Hinata blinked once, twice.   
   
 Kageyama pulled away, completely.   
   
 Hinata stared up at him, eyes still wide.   
   
 Kageyama cleared his throat. “H-Hope you get your bike soon.”   
   
 “R-Right.” Hinata nodded. “A-And, uh… th-thanks. For… being such a supportive friend!”   
   
 “Tch.” Kageyama scoffed, scowling. He turned and walked away.   
   
 Hinata slumped back into his seat. His shoulders felt heavy, and his mind felt too loud. He closed his eyes and took a breath.  _But, at least…_  Hinata opened his eyes, looking at the floor.  _At least I get this, right…?_    
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 The two of them walked by Hinata sulking on his stool.   
   
 Yamaguchi sighed. “Hey Tsukki…”   
   
 “No.”   
   
 “But Tsukki—”   
   
 “We don’t even know them,” Tsukishima murmured.   
   
 “Tsukki—”   
   
 “Hinata who? Kageyama? Doesn’t ring a bell.” Tsukishima sipped more from his water bottle. “Don’t know them, sorry.”   
   
 “But.” Yamaguchi frowned. “Tsukishima.”   
   
 “Look.” He shrugged. “It’s not my problem. Let’s not get involved. It’s more trouble than it’s worth.”   
   
 “Well…” Yamaguchi let out a little laugh. “I can’t argue with that part.”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama walked away from the booth, feeling his whole body rattling like a cage. His breathing was shaky, and his hands hurt, and his fingers tingled, and his knees threatened to give way. He hated all of it. He hated it because he wished—he swore, he just wished that he could share this with someone? If Hinata felt the same, it wouldn’t be so bad, but it was obvious Hinata just saw him as a supportive friend and didn’t return his feelings.   
   
 His crush was hopeless.   
   
 He skipped practice after school as well.   
   
 He ignored the concerned texts from Daichi and Sugawara, and the aggressive texts from Tanaka, and the text apologising for Tanaka by Ennoshita who attached a picture of Ennoshita forcing Tanaka’s head down in an apologetic bow.   
   
 He sighed and headed home. He went to his room, and started his homework.   
   
 His hand moved up, fingertips ghosting over his lips, thinking about all the times he’d kissed Hinata now. He took Hinata’s first kiss, and probably gave him the next forty or so. If he really thought about it, gratitude was what he felt. He was thankful that he got to be Hinata’s first, that he got to kiss him so many times.   
   
 And, although the crush was hopeless, he knew he could kiss him several dozen more times if he wanted to. His parents were financially supporting him so he didn’t have to worry about paying for lunch anymore.   
   
  _This is good enough,_  he told himself.   
   
 Yeah.   
   
  _As long as I get to kiss Hinata… this is enough._    
   
 It hurt, but it was enough.   
   
   
 The next day, however—   
   
   
 Kageyama stopped in front of where the sign used to be.   
   
 “Ah, Kageyama.” Hinata ran up behind him, tapping his shoulder.   
   
 “Where.” Kageyama looked at him. “Where’s your kissing booth?”   
   
 “Oh.” Hinata looked down, making one of those smiles that didn’t look like real smiles. He looked up again. “Well, I uh… I made enough money to buy my bike! So, I uh!”   
   
 Ever-so-slightly, Kageyama’s eyes widened.   
   
 “So, I uh… I’m good now…” Hinata took a breath. “I don’t need to do the kissing booth anymore, and you don’t have to, uh… you know, kiss me anymore. We’re all done with that.”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama twitched his wrist. “We’re all done with that.”   
   
 “Yeah, it’s. It’s all over now.” Hinata nodded slowly. “I got my money and I bought a new bike. It’s really nice! But, uh… yeah… Thank you… for everything. Thanks for being such a supportive friend, Kageyama.”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 “Kageyama?” Hinata looked around the gym. It was after school, their usual routine practice time; and, yet, no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find Kageyama. He bit his lip and looked around. “Tsukki!”   
   
 Tsukishima turned around and walked away.   
   
 “Tsukki!” Hinata ran after him. It was pretty weird that Tsukki hadn’t heard him when they were so close. “Tsukishima,” he said louder, “Have you seen Kageyama?”   
   
 Tsukishima pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Yes. I have.”   
   
 “Oh. Where is he?” Hinata looked around, squinting. “He’s not hiding, is he?”   
   
 “No, he’s not hiding.” Tsukishima scoffed and walked off. “He’s sick, so he went home.”   
   
 “Sick…” Hinata watched Tsukishima walk off. He bit his lips. It made perfect sense: If someone was sick, they didn’t go to practice. Or else Daichi yells at them. But. Hinata tilted his head. “Hmm…” He walked over to where he kept some of his things, near the wall, and grabbed his phone – which was plugged into a power socket to charge. He squatted down and hummed, opening up his text messages with Kageyama.   
   
  _u better come to practice tomorrow. miss u_    
   
 He sent it off with a big breath of air. He didn’t know exactly if it was a good thing or a bad thing to be so forward right now, but he figured it couldn’t hurt if—   
   
 “Ah!”   
   
 His phone beeped.   
   
 Hinata threw it up in the air and scrambled before he caught it, millimeters away from smashing on the ground. “Phew…” He lifted the phone and looked at Kageyama’s reply.   
   
  _i will._    
   
 Hinata smiled, a warm wiggly smile, and let out a little chuckle.   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama had gotten the text while at a small cafe. The weather was getting colder, and a warm drink had sounded nice. He’d ordered a steamed milk. He liked the way it felt warm in his hands, like Hinata. It felt like everything would be okay. He vaguely wondered what holding Hinata’s hand would feel like, and his eyes softened.   
   
 It was when he had just stepped out of the cafe, into the cold air, that he got the text, and replied.   
   
 He finished his drink on a long walk, and found himself going to a place that he… honestly should probably not go to, but a part of him told him this was a good place to get advice. He remembered a similar experience, in middle school, that had gotten him yelled at but this time… He huffed. He wouldn’t say romantic advice was more important than volleyball, but he could understand if it garnered a different kind of sympathy.   
   
 He rung the doorbell.   
   
 A woman answered the door, blinking. She smiled, as if she somewhat recognised him, but her forehead crinkled as if she couldn’t remember exactly who he was.   
   
 “Hello Oikawa-san,” Kageyama said with a bow. “I would like to see your son, if he is home… I… I came over unannounced.”   
   
 “Ah, Kage-chan.” She smiled broadly. “You’ve grown up so much! Sure thing, I’ll go get him now. Would you like to come inside while you wait?”   
   
 “No thank you,” he said with another dip of his head. “I have a feeling he would be upset if I did that again.”   
   
 She laughed. “Are you sure?”   
   
 “Yes, ma’am.”   
   
 “Alright, if you say so.” She smiled again. “I’ll go get him.”   
   
 She closed the door, presumably not to let the warm air out, and soon the door opened again.   
   
 “Tobio-chan,” Oikawa said in a terse voice. “You’re interrupting me when I’m very very busy. What do you want? You have new senpais.”   
   
 “But.” Kageyama frowned. “I… need.” He sighed. “Dating advice.”   
   
 “Alright.” Oikawa crossed his arms. “Tell me what’s going on, and make it snappy.”   
   
 Kageyama explained, to the best of his abilities.   
   
 Oikawa stared at him, squinting. “Well, maybe he’s just not into you. Or, I don’t know, maybe you’re not good enough for him! He is very cute, after all.”   
   
 “I know that!” Kageyama raised his voice and looked away, cheeks flushed red. “I… know that… that I might not be… good enough…”   
   
 “Hmm.” Oikawa sighed and looked up. “Well, maybe he’s just not gay. I mean.” He shrugged. “You’re gay. Iwa-chan’s gay. I know Suga-san’s gay. Really, Kageyama, how many volleyball players can be gay? It’s just not statistically likely. I mean, really—”   
   
 “What’s going on?” came another voice.   
   
 “Oh, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa stepped out to give him room to join the conversation. “Tobio-chan needs relationship advice, but for a boy! Can you believe that? A boy! I can’t help him because I’m not gay so—”   
   
 “—You were literally sucking my dick when the doorbell—”   
   
 “—That’s!” Oikawa stepped back. “That’s not relevant, Iwa-chan! I am. I am very heterosexual!”   
   
 “Right.” Iwaizumi side-eyed him before looking at Kageyama. “Look, I don’t know the situation, but… It’s true, he might be gay, he might not be gay, hell he might be bi or pan, or aro, or ace or whatever. Or, y’know, he might.” He glanced at Oikawa. “Might not be ready to admit it to himself yet.” He looked Kageyama. “Which is  _fine,_  even if it’s  _annoying,_  but you gotta respect that people have to process things at their own pace and—”   
   
 “—I,” interrupted Kageyama, “Don’t think that’s my situation.”   
   
 “It might be!” Oikawa chimed in, “It’s much more common than you think, but I wouldn’t know. Because I’m like, totally, not gay.”   
   
 “Right.” Iwaizumi glared at him before turning to Kageyama, eyes softening. “Look. Kageyama. If you need relationship advice, all I got for you is… tell him how you feel.”   
   
 “Tell.” Kageyama frowned. “Him how I feel?”   
   
 “Yeah.” Iwaizumi sighed. “Sometimes you gotta just be honest. Communication is important. You just gotta be blunt, and honest, and try to articulate your feelings into words. I know it sounds like a lot but… just tell him how you feel.”   
   
 “And.” Kageyama took in a sharp breath. “If he says… no?”   
   
 “That’s okay.” Iwaizumi nodded slowly. “You can still be friends, you can still be close to him… but you won’t know unless you ask. Rejection… it’s a part of life too. But it’s not the end of the world, either. You’ll move on.”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama pursed his lips. A cold breeze passed him by and he nodded. “Iwaizumi-senpai… thank you.”   
   
 “You’re welcome,” Iwaizumi said quietly. “And good luck.”   
   
 “Yeah.” Oikawa nodded. “That.” He glanced at Iwaizumi. “Can we go back to, uh—?”   
   
  _“Yes.”_    
   
 Kageyama turned around and walked away.   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Bokuto was lounging on the couch, on his back, reading a comic book when he heard his obnoxious (amazing) ringtone go off. He flipped the phone open and said, “Y’ello!” like in the movies.   
   
  _“Bokuto-san?”_    
   
 “Shrimpy!   
   
  _“H-Hi! I’m… uh… being really bad right now.”_    
   
 “Really bad?” Bokuto sat up, frowning. “What do you mean really bad?”   
   
 “Yo,” came another voice. “Who you talking to?”   
   
 “It’s Karasuno’s Shrimpy!”   
   
  _“Who’s that?”_    
   
 “It’s Kuroo!” Bokuto grinned. “Nekoma’s captain.”   
   
  _“The Cat Emperor!”_    
   
 “Wh…” Bokuto squinted. “What?”   
   
  _“Wait, no! Coachy Nekoma would be the Emperor… what’s less than Emperor?”_    
   
 “Yo, Kuroo.” Bokuto looked up. “What’s one level less than Emperor?”   
   
 “Empress,” Kuroo said as he looked up from his chemistry textbook, “Because our society is disgustingly male-dominated and women are apparently—”   
   
 “Empress!” Bokuto yelled. “Kuroo is the Cat Empress!”   
   
 “What the fuck.”   
   
  _“Bwah! The Cat Empress!”_    
   
 “So! Shorty!” Bokuto frowned. “Why are you being bad…?”   
   
  _“Well… I should be at practice right now… but I grabbed a hoodie and said I had to call my mom, but that was a lie. I’m calling you instead. Wait! Why aren’t you in practice?”_    
   
 “Today’s a holiday here!” Bokuto shuffled the phone between his shoulder and ear, putting his comic book down.   
   
 “Yo.” Kuroo looked up. “What does Shorty want?”   
   
 Bokuto listened to Hinata for a bit. “Oh.” He looked at Kuroo. “Relationship advice?”   
   
 “From you?” Kuroo snorted. “Bo’, you haven’t even managed to ask Akaashi out in almost two years—”   
   
 “Hey!” Bokuto gasped. “Shut up! It’s hard! You didn’t even ask Kenma out—he asked you out!”   
   
 “Technically he just asked me to play co-op with him, in real life. But, yeah, same thing. Give me the phone.” Kuroo offered his hand. After Bokuto gave him the phone, he put it on speakerphone. “Hey Shorty.”   
   
  _“Cat Empress!”_    
   
 “What the fuck.”   
   
  _“How should I ask out Kageyama?”_    
   
 “Well, hey.” Kuroo grinned. “Just ask him to sleep with you and—”   
   
  _“Okay!”_    
   
 Click.   
   
 Kuroo stared at the phone. “Shorty?” His eyes widened. “Shorty!?” He grabbed the phone. “He hung up! I was kidding, I was—”   
   
 Bokuto made a squeal as he vibrated against the couch. “S-Sex!? N-No! Call him back! Just call him back!”   
   
 “He’s not picking up!” Kuroo yelled, “He’s not picking up!”   
   
 “Mm,” came a third voice. “What… are you guys yelling about?”   
   
 “K-Kenma!” Kuroo turned his head towards him. “I accidentally told Shrimpy to have sex with Kageyama to ask him out and now his phone is on silent.”   
   
 “Mmm.” Kenma blinked twice, moving some of his hair out of his eyes. “His phone is on silent if he’s at practice. It’s not a holiday where they are…”   
   
 “What?” Bokuto jumped out of his seat. “What do we do?”   
   
 “Mm.” Kenma shrugged, an amused smile on his lips. “Karasuno’s captain won’t like that… He might kill you.”   
   
 Bokuto yelled into the night and rain. “We need to get to Miyagi and stop this!”   
   
 “No, I…” Kuroo put his head in his hands. “I need to hide.”   
   
 Bokuto blinked. “Hide? From what?”   
   
 Kuroo held back tears. “Daichi.”   
   
 Kenma’s amused little smile didn’t fade as he murmured, “Game over.”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama felt alive. He felt so fucking alive. Just talk to him! It sounded so simple in his mind, too simple, and yet it made sense. He would never know if Hinata felt the same about him if he didn’t just open up his heart and tell Hinata how he felt. Hinata probably didn’t even know how Kageyama felt, and by doing this – by doing the simple thing of talking – he could convey all of his feelings!   
   
 “Oh,” Tsukishima murmured, “Look who isn’t so sick anymore.”   
   
 “Hinata!” Kageyama yelled as he stepped into the gym. “I need to talk to you!”   
   
 Yamaguchi sighed.  _“Finally.”_    
   
 Hinata, in the middle of receive practice, looked at the doorway. He looked at Coach Ukai, who told him to scram, and ran over to where Kageyama was. “Are you not sick anymore?”   
   
 “I need to talk to you,” Kageyama explained. “About. Everything! About us.”   
   
 “Us.” Hinata grinned. “I need to talk to you too!”   
   
 There was a collective happy sigh amongst Karasuno.   
   
 “Listen, Hinata.” Kageyama scowled. “I… I wanted to tell you how I feel… This…” He closed his eyes and took a breath. “This year.” He opened his blue eyes again. “This year, with you… has meant so much to me. I know we started out as rivals… but… as I got to know you, as I got to spend time with you… as you became someone that I can call my  _partner,_  my equal… my everything, I…” He took another breath. “My heart, it…” He clutched his chest. “Hinata, what I’m trying to say is I love—”   
   
 “—Have sex with me!”   
   
 Kageyama stared, eyes wet and wide.   
   
 “Kageyama Tobio!” Hinata squatted as he pointed at him. “Have sex with me!”   
   
 “I…”   
   
 “Sex!”   
   
 “Don’t!”   
   
 Hinata blinked. “Huh?”   
   
 “Don’t!” Kageyama wagged his hand. “Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 Hinata tilted his head.   
   
 “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 Hinata tilted his head, more.   
   
 “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!” Kageyama chanted as he held his index finger out, wagging his hand down with every word. “Don’t! Do! Bad! Things!”   
   
 “But!” Hinata squinted. “I was trying to—”   
   
 “Don’t do bad things!”   
   
 “Hey! Listen to me—”   
   
 “Don’t do bad things!”   
   
 “But I—”   
   
 “Don’t do—”   
   
 “—was trying—”   
   
 “—bad!—”   
   
 “—to say—”   
   
 “—things!”   
   
 “ENOUGH!”   
   
 They both jumped back.   
   
 Daichi heaved his breathing and crossed his arms.   
   
 The entire team looked on.   
   
 Kageyama and Hinata stared at him.   
   
 “Kageyama,” Daichi said firmly, “Perhaps you should head out for a bit… Hinata, just. Just come with me…”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 “What are we doing?” asked a sheepish Asahi. “Suga?”   
   
 “Shh.” Sugawara pulled him along as they crept behind the gym to listen in. “We’re eavesdroppin’.”   
   
 Several paces away, Daichi pinched his brow. “Alright. Hinata. Why?”   
   
 Hinata straightened his spine. “Why what?”   
   
 “Good question.” Daichi sighed loudly and crossed his arms. “We’re going to clear the air right now. Why did you yell at Kageyama to have sex with you?”   
   
 “Because… that’s what the Cat Empress said to do.”   
   
 “Who the f—” Daichi pursed his lips. “Who is this, Cat Empress?”   
   
 “Nekoma’s Captain,” Hinata said quietly. “Kuroo-san.”   
   
 “Kuroo…”   
   
 “Uh… Daichi, are you okay?”   
   
 “No.” His eyes darkened. “I’m going to Tokyo.”   
   
 And several paces away, Asashi gasped. “He’s not going to kill him is he?”   
   
 “Probably,” Sugawara murmured. “Well, rest in pieces Kuroo Tetsurou.”   
   
 “But what would he do if he found out it was your idea for him to run the kissing b—”   
   
 Sugawara slammed his hand against Asahi’s mouth. “Shhh!” He looked around furiously. “You don’t want Daichi to kill me too, do you?” He moved his hand away and offered a strained smile.   
   
 Asahi just mimicked Suga’s way of talking as he said,  _“How bad can it get?”_    
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama was so lucky he still had Iwaizumi’s phone number on his phone. He wasn’t lucky that someone else picked up Iwaizumi’s phone, though.   
   
  _“Tobio-chan! What do you want? More advice? Sheesh!”_    
   
 “Um. Yes.” Kageyama frowned. “Oikawa-san… Hinata offered to have sex with me.”   
   
  _“Well, fuck—no pun intended—that sounds great. Go do it!”_    
   
 “No!” Kageyama frowned. “I promised my mom I wouldn’t do bad things. I don’t even know if he’s gay.”   
   
  _“Tobi—”_  There was a loud sigh.  _“I know I’m like the last person to say this, because I’ve got my head so far up my ass in denial right now, but listen you little bitch, why would he try to have sex with you if he wasn’t gay!?”_    
   
 Kageyama frowned.   
   
 Silence.   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama’s eyes widened. “He’s ga—!”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Tsukishima wasn’t entirely sure what was happening with practice, given that now a good five or so members of the team were missing. “Maybe we can go home early today.”   
   
 “Hinata!” yelled Kageyama as he ran back into the gym. “Hinata!”   
   
 Tsukishima glanced at him and  _sighed._    
   
 Yamaguchi looked at Tsukishima. “Should we do something?”   
   
 “No.”   
   
 “But Tsukki—”   
   
 “We don’t even know them,” Tsukishima murmured.   
   
 “Tsukki—”   
   
 “Hinata who? Kageyama? Doesn’t ring a bell.” Tsukishima sipped more from his water bottle. “Don’t know them, sorry.”   
   
 “Tsukishima Kei,” Yamaguchi said firmly. “Go help him.”   
   
 Tsukishima frowned. “Why me?”   
   
 “Well.” Yamaguchi blinked. “I don’t want to get involved.” He gave a sheepish smile. “It looks like more trouble than it’s worth…”   
   
 Tsukishima sighed loudly.   
   
 “Tsukishima!” Kageyama said as he approached.   
   
 Tsukishima sighed  _louder._    
   
 “Do you know where Hinata went?”   
   
 “He went home.”   
   
 “I see. He’s probably at the bus stop. If I run maybe I can catch up to him—”   
   
 “You!” Tsukishima threw his arms up in the air, feeling something red hot snap inside him. “You dimwit! You moron! You dingus — you’re an absolute dishtowel! He’s not at the bus stop!”   
   
 Kageyama frowned. “Why not…?”   
   
 “Because!” Tsukishima yanked Kageyama’s shirt. “Your stupid fucking kissing booth bought him a new bike! He’s probably kilometers away right now! You’ll never catch up!”   
   
 “He!” Kageyama’s eyes widened. “You’re saying he bikes home now!”   
   
 “Yes!”   
   
 Kageyama frowned. “Then I won’t run.” He looked up fiercely. “I’ll run  _really fast.”_    
   
 “Oh my fucking—”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Hinata sighed. He was pretty sure he was hopeless, and that he would never find love. After all, he’d gotten advice from Suga, he’d gotten advice from Bokuto, he’d gotten advice from Kuroo—there was literally no one else to get advice from. He perked up. Maybe Grand King? Nah. He shook his head. He was hopeless.   
   
 He biked the path to his home and put his bike in the garage as always, before heading through the front door.   
   
 “I’m home!” he called out, before vaguely remembering today was the day Natsu had her basketball game, so nobody would be home.   
   
 He walked into the quiet home and sulked his shoulders.   
   
 He really was… hopeless.   
   
 Maybe he should have never tried, maybe he should have never—   
   
 Something slammed against the door behind him.   
   
 He jumped and turned around. He opened the door and, “K-Kageyama!?—”   
   
   
 ~ ~ ~   
   
   
 Kageyama was more or less dead. He was sweating, exhausted, and barely breathing. He swore he must have summoned some higher volleyball spirit, or maybe it was a gay spirit, or something, that had fuelled his ascent of several mountains before he’d reached Hinata’s place. He vaguely remembered falling into several puddles along the way as well, but that didn’t matter.   
   
 He suddenly breathed again, hearing Hinata yell.   
   
 “K-Kageyama!? Are you alive!?”   
   
 “Maybe!” Kageyama was lying flat on the front entrance, face down, unable to look up completely.   
   
 “What.” Hinata blinked. “How did you get here?”   
   
 “I ran.”   
   
 “But—”   
   
 “I ran, really fast.”   
   
 “Oh, that makes sense.” Hinata nodded. “Do… you… Are you okay?”   
   
 “Just.” Kageyama forced himself off the ground and stepped inside. He respectfully removed his shoes and his jacket and looked at Hinata. “I need to talk to you.”   
   
 “Oh.” Hinata stared. “Okay.”   
   
 “Those kisses. The ones, for your kissing booth?”   
   
 “Yeah?”   
   
 “They were.” Kageyama swallowed hard. “They were gay kisses.”   
   
 Hinata’s eyes widened. “Wait…  _what?”_    
   
 “I’m. Erm. S-Sorry, I didn’t tell you, but.” Kageyama closed his eyes. “They were gay kisses, and I really like you. Because I’m gay. Actually I think I’m pan, but that’s not important. I’m gay. For you. And I understand if you don’t want to be with me, or if you think that’s weird. If you don’t want to… um. Be. With me… we can still, be friends.”   
   
 “Wait.” Hinata frowned. “Back up. You’re gay!?”   
   
 “Well, pan, but—”   
   
 “I’m gay!”   
   
 Kageyama’s eyes widened. “You are!?”   
   
 “Yes!” Hinata’s eyes watered. “I’m gay… and I thought… I thought you were just kissing me because you wanted to be a good friend. I didn’t know you were gay. Well, pan. But.”   
   
 “I…” Kageyama squished his eyes shut. “I don’t want to be your good friend.”   
   
 “But, you—”   
   
 “I want to be your boyfriend.”   
   
 Hinata mouthed an ‘Oh’.   
   
 Kageyama stared at him. “I like you a lot.”   
   
 “I like you too.”   
   
 Kageyama inhaled sharply. “You do?”   
   
 “I do.” Hinata smiled. “So, uh… can I have… a proper gay kiss?”   
   
 “Y-” Kageyama patted his pockets. “I don’t have anymore money, I—”   
   
 “For free!” Hinata grinned. “Because… you’re my boyfriend.”   
   
 “Oh.” Kageyama’s eyes widened. “C-Can I?”   
   
 Hinata walked over and reached up, grabbing Kageyama’s head. He brought the tall motherfucker down, and pressed their lips together.   
   
 Like their first, Kageyama tensed and didn’t move much.   
   
 Hinata didn’t mind. He moved, slow and steady, and soon he felt Kageyama kiss him back.   
   
 The world melted away.   
   
 Everything melted away.   
   
 It was just them, together.   
   
 Kageyama pulled back, eyes opening slowly. “I’m… sorry I yelled at you… for the. Bad. Things. But, I promised my mom I wouldn’t do. Bad. Things. Like… sex, things.”   
   
 “Oh.” Hinata looked at him. “But did you promise your mom you wouldn’t do bad  _gay_  things…?”   
   
 Kageyama raised an eyebrow, gears in his head whirring together. “Are your parents home?”   
   
  _“Nope.”_    
   
 Kageyama gave a little smirk.   
   
 Hinata grinned wickedly.   
   
 “Bedroom?”   
   
 “Bath first, maybe? You’re covered in dirt.”   
   
 “Oh, okay. Yeah. Let’s go.”   
   
  _“Now.”_  

**Author's Note:**

> rest in pieces Kuroo Tetsurou.


End file.
